Ekenäs (; ) is a town and former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

that comprised the former municipalities of

Snappertuna Raseborg (; , ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Raseborg is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Raseborg is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of approximatel ...

and

Tenala Tenala () is a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality in Uusimaa, Finland. It was neighboured by Hanko, Finland, Hanko, Kisko, Perniö, Pohja, Särkisalo and Ekenäs (Finland), Ekenäs. The municipality was established in ...

together with the town of Ekenäs. It was merged with

Pohja Pohja (; ()) is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Ekenäs and Karis to form the new town of Raseborg in 2009. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality had a ...

and

Karis Karis (; ) is a town and former municipality in Finland. On January 1, 2009, it was consolidated with Ekenäs and Pohja to form the new municipality of Raseborg (). It is located in the Finnish province of Southern Finland and is part of U ...

to form the new municipality of

Raseborg Raseborg (; , ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Raseborg is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Raseborg is approximately , while the Raseborg sub-region, sub-region has a popul ...

on January 1, 2009. Ekenäs is in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Southern Finland Southern Finland (, ) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia. History On September 1, 1997 the Uusimaa Province, the Ky ...

, and is part of the

Uusimaa Uusimaa (; , ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, Helsinki, alo ...

()

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. The town had a population of 14,754 (as of 31 December 2008) and covered a land area of . The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . The town is

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

, with the majority being

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

speakers (81%), and the minority Finnish speakers (17%).

History

Ekenäs is Finland's seventh oldest town and the first of the non-medieval towns. King Gustav Wasa granted town rights to Ekenäs on 15 December 1546, but even before that Ekenäs played a significant role in

maritime transport Maritime transport (or ocean transport) or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by watercraft has been widely used throughout recorded history, as it pr ...

. Today it is mostly noted for its

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

, part of which is the Ekenäs Archipelago National Park. The old, mainly wooden town center is protected due to its cultural historical value, and renovation of even residential buildings is strictly controlled. The history of the old town dates back to 16th century, but most of the current buildings have been built between 18th and 19th century. The present Neoclassical form of the

Ekenäs church Ekenäs Church ( Swedish: ''Ekenäs kyrka'', Finnish: ''Tammisaaren kirkko'') is a 17th-century neoclassical stone church located in Ekenäs in the Finnish town of Raseborg. Construction began in 1651 and continued into the 1670s. The initia ...

was designed by Italian-born architect

Charles Bassi Charles (Carlo) Francesco Bassi (12 November 1772, Turin – 11 November 1840, Turku) was a Finnish architect of Italian descent. He was the first professionally trained architect who permanently worked in present-day Finland. He worked, both as a ...

in 1839–1842 following a fire in 1821. There are two buildings in Ekenäs designed by world famous Finnish architect

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...

; the Ekenäs Savings Bank (1964) and Villa Skeppet (1969), the home of Aalto's biographer, Göran Schildt. Ekenäs is home of the oldest still functional movie theatre in Finland called ''Bio Forum''. The theatre is located in the old town centre in a small

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

(Jugend) building and it was founded in 1912. At the time it was called ''Ekenäs Nya Biograf Teater''.

Notable people

Among notable residents are author Marianne Alopaeus, who wrote in Swedish. She was born in Ekenäs in 1918. One of the most renowned finnish modernist painters

Helene Schjerfbeck Helena Sofia (Helene) Schjerfbeck (; July 10, 1862 – January 23, 1946) was a Finnish modernist painter known for her realist works and self-portraits, and also for her landscapes and still lifes. Throughout her long life her work changed dram ...

spend her summers 1918-1920 in Ekenäs and lived in the town permanently 1925-1941. Ekenäs museum center Ekta has a permanent exhibition of her work called ''Helene Schjerfbeck's Life and Art''. Emma Engdahl-Jägerskiöld, one of Finland's first internationally-recognised opera singers grew up in, and always retained a close connection with, Ekenäs. Kaija Saarikettu, violinist and Professor at

Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy (, ) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki ...

, was born in Ekenäs.

Attractions

Every year Christmas Markets and Christmas opening are organized on the wooden house idyll, pedestrian street Kungsgatan and the market square. Ekenäs has an award winning art museum - an art house by the Sea.

Sub-region of Uusimaa

Ekenäs was also the name of a sub-region of

, containing the following municipalities before 2009: * Ekenäs *

Hanko Hanko may refer to Places *Hanko, Finland, town and municipality *Hanko Peninsula, Finland * Hankø, an island in the Oslo Fjord in Norway *The asteroid 2299 Hanko Other uses * August Hanko (military personnel), German First World War flying a ...

Ingå Ingå (; , ) is a municipality in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Ingå is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Ingå is approximately , while the Raseborg sub-region, sub-region has a popul ...

References

Gallery

File:Raseborg city hall.JPG, Raseborg City Hall in Ekenäs File:Tammisaaren kirkko.JPG, Charles Bassi, Ekenäs church File:Tammisaari_etelasta.jpg, Ekenäs seen from south File:2003 - Västra Nyland - Biograf i Ekenäs.jpg, Movie theatre in Ekenäs File:Alvar Aalto, Tammisaari Savings Bank.JPG, Alvar Aalto, Ekenäs Savings Bank

External links

Populated places established in 1546 Populated places disestablished in 2009 2009 disestablishments in Finland Former municipalities of Finland Raseborg Grand Duchy of Finland 1546 establishments in Europe 16th-century establishments in Finland {{SouthernFinland-geo-stub